


What You Read When You Don't Have To

by ItsFunnierInEnochian42



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Bookstore AU, M/M, Pregnancy, bartender!Dean, lawyer!Sam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-21 03:59:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9530612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ItsFunnierInEnochian42/pseuds/ItsFunnierInEnochian42
Summary: Bookstore AU. Dean goes to a bookstore to buy Sam a birthday gift and stumbles upon Castiel, a weird guy who wants him to read a specific book and call him afterwards.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lindsey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lindsey/gifts).



> This is for my lovely friend Lindsey who inspired me to write it on Destiel Amino (http://aminoapps.com/c/destiel-amino/) She shared a prompt and I couldn't help myself. I hope you'll enjoy! 
> 
> The title is based on an Oscar Wilde quote I particularly love : It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it. 
> 
> Small reminder that english isn't my first language, so if there's any mistake, please let me know so I can fix whatever I need to fix.

This story is based on [this tumblr post](https://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiT3cr03uzRAhWIPiYKHe3HCiIQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F121456521173793637%2F&psig=AFQjCNHEtKHzSjwKblx6u-pDf0YQT11TFw&ust=1485964401337021) I saw a while ago

 

Dean was standing in the History Section of the bookstore, holding about five different books, all with different subjects, going from the Crusades to the Civil Rights Movement to historically accurate works of fiction. He’d been standing there for God knows how long, wondering which one he should buy for Sam’s birthday present. The poor guy was working way too hard for his own good lately, and Dean wanted to give him something he would really enjoy, something to help him forget a bit about his crazy lawyer job and his pregnant wife. And since Sam had once told him that if he couldn’t be a lawyer, he’d be a history teacher, well…

After thinking for a few more minutes, he finally put _Watergate : The Presidential Scandal That Shook America_ back on the shelf, letting him with only four more options.

 _Come on, Dean, it’s not that complicated_ , he thought.

After what seemed like an eternity, he was left with only two options. Dean was about to just roll with it and buy both books when a deep voice interrupted his thoughts.

“I read that one, it’s pretty good.”

His head snapped back up, looking around to see who was talking to him. As he was about to answer, his eyes laid on the other man’s face, and his sentence got stuck in his throat.

Dean was looking at the most gorgeous human being he’d seen in his whole life. His hair was a deep, rich brown and looked like the man hadn’t even tried to comb it in the morning. His eyes were an Egyptian blue, so amazingly pure Dean knew he could get lost in them for hours on end and never really explore all of them. His lips were full and dry, though they looked soft at the same time, and he felt the sudden urge to just kiss them, so he could know if he should buy him some chapstick or not.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. Are you okay?” The man asked, a soft smile revealing perfectly aligned teeth.

_Come on, man, snap out of it. Focus._

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, sorry. Got lost in thoughts for a moment. Which one did you read?”

The man pointed toward The Killer Angels in Dean’s left hand. “My name’s Castiel, by the way. What’s yours?”

“Dean. Winchester” Dean answered, not too sure where this was going.

“Nice to meet you, Dean. You know, it won a Pulitzer Prize in 1975. Believe me, it’s worth the read.”

“Oh really?” He replied, not sure what to say. He’d always been awkward when it came to meeting new people, particularly when said people were so attractive.

“I really liked the way the story was written. You don’t follow just one, but multiple protagonists, and you can see their perspective. I enjoyed that quite a lot.”

“That seems like a nice, huh… I mean, interesting way of writing.”

_...Really, Winchester? That was as smooth as sandpaper._

He had to get out of there. If he stayed here only one more second, he was pretty sure he would combust into flames right on the spot. He was so humiliated by his own lack of vocabulary and literature knowledge, he could feel the heat on his cheeks and neck, and he was convinced everyone around could see it as much as he could feel it. He felt like a beacon of stupidity, like one of those people proud of their mental abyss.

“Well, thanks for the recommendation” he said, dropping the other book randomly on a shelf before turning around and heading straight for the cashier.

He paid for the book and walked as fast as he could, looking at the exit like it was his only chance of solace, until those blue eyes appeared in front of him again, destabilizing him as much as the first time.

“Sorry to interrupt your thoughts again, but this was a book I really appreciated and I can’t help but want to know other people’s opinion when it comes to this.” He scrambled into his front pocket before giving Dean a small business card. “Here, take this. If you feel like it, when you’re done, give me a call. We could go talk about it around a cup of coffee or something. Have a great afternoon, Dean” he said, before turning around and disappearing in a ray of sunshine as he slowly walked out the store.

How long he fidgeted there, wondering what to do? He had no idea. Why did he turn back to go buy a second copy of the book? Because he knew, deep in his core, he wanted to see this Castiel again. Would he regret it? Probably, but the only thing he had in mind the moment he came out the store was a statement in itself.

_Fuck it._

***

“Happy birthday, Sammy”, Dean said, throwing his poor attempt at a gift wrap at his brother. He tried, he really did try, but those god forsaken hardcovers were a pain in the ass. He could have put it in a box, but he hadn’t find anything suitable and as usual, Dean was last minute so he’d given up.

“Thanks” Sam replied, a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth. “It’s not an obligation to buy me a gift, you know? A small dinner with me and Jess and a few beers would’ve been enough.”

“Just open it, would you?”

Sam tear the wrapping paper apart, revealing the book Dean had bought a few hours ago. This time, a real smile lit up his whole face.

“Wow Dean, I didn’t know you were able to make such a good choice. Thanks, I really like it. It’s gonna be a good read.”

“Hey, always the best for my little bro. And the best part is, we’ll be able to spoil each other about it depending on who reads faster” Dean said teasingly, showing Sam his own copy of the hardcover.

“You bought one for yourself?” Sam asked, surprised.

“Yeah, I read the back cover and it sounded good so… Yeah.”

Dean had never been a good liar. Well, he was, but not to Sam. His brother had some secret power, making him know when Dean was bullshitting him, which made it super hard for him to surprise Sam whenever he wanted to. Or when he wanted to hide some information, like now.

“Oh yeah?” Sam asked, grinning. “What does it say?”

_...Shit._

“It’s huh… It’s about this guy who, huh… I.. I don’t have a good answer.” He could feel his cheeks going pink under Sam’s stare.

“So you’re gonna tell me the real reason why you bought it for yourself?”

“Nope.”

“Come on, Dean. You know I won’t laugh at you, whatever the reason is.”

“That’s exactly why I’m not telling you actually, because I know you will laugh.”

They stared at each other, Sam with his smirk, knowing Dean would talk, Dean acting all tough but slowly giving up.

“OKAY, stop looking at me like that! There was a guy there when I bought the book, and he just recommended it to me. So I thought I’d try it.”

_Here. Close enough._

“And? What else? If it was only that, you would’ve told me. There’s nothing incriminating in that.”

“Stop lawyering me. It’s not because you do that 60 hours a week to freaky suspects that you gotta do it to me too. Now start reading if you wanna keep up with me.”

So they read. It took both of them a few weeks to get through, Sam dealing with Jess (who was extremely pregnant) and work, while Dean was trying to help both of them as much as he could, bringing Jess food whenever she had weird cravings or taking her wherever she wanted to go. Her belly was so big she couldn’t fit behind the steering wheel. Since Dean was a bartender, his shifts usually started when Sam’s ended, so there was one of them with her at all time, making sure she was okay and had everything she needed.

They both teased each other about the book, Sam going as far as writing a small message in Dean’s : “About time you reach that part!”. He also wrote something on Castiel’s business card, that Dean had used as a bookmark : “Who the hell is Castiel?”. This one, Sam wasn’t about to let go. He kept asking questions, taking guesses on who Castiel was, until he finally guessed right.

“He’s the bookstore guy, isn’t he?”

Dean never responded, faking being really busy with a stain on his shirt, giving Sam a clear answer.

“He is! Why the hell did he gave you his business card?”

“He wants me to call him when I finish the book. He wants to know if I liked it or not. Discuss it around a cup of coffee or whatever. It’s not important.”

Sam looked at Dean in disbelief. “Do you realize what that means?“

“It doesn’t mean shit, Sam, I don’t even know if I’ll call him.”

“But you’re considering it. If you say you don’t know, it’s because you’re considering it.”

Of course he was considering it. More than considering it. Dean was haunted day and night by Castiel’s deep blue eyes, by Castiel’s hands, by Castiel’s voice. He had to admit to himself, he was obsessed and there was nothing he could do about it. Except, maybe... give in.

“What difference does it make to you anyway?” Dean asked, his defences rising up.

“What difference does it make?! Dean, I want you to be happy! You’re always there when I need you, even when I don’t even know yet that I need you. You deserve to have someone that takes care of you a bit, too. And don’t tell me you don’t feel anything for that Castiel guy, it shows on your face. It shows every time you look at his business card. So listen to me carefully. You are going to finish this book, and you are going to call him and talk. Or I’ll call him myself.”

It took Dean another week to finish the book after that conversation. He didn’t tell Sam right away. He didn’t call Castiel right away.

He didn’t do a thing, because he was petrified to.

He kept working, he kept taking care of Jessica and his little brother, part of him convinced it should stay like that, part of him convinced he was a child for being scared of making a regular phone call.

Until one day, he checked his phone after going to a doctor appointment with Jess to see he had one new voicemail from an unknown number.

“Huh… Hello, this message is for Dean Winchester… Your brother, Samuel, called me, saying you were too busy with I don’t know what to give me a call yourself. So, huh, yeah, I heard you’ve finished the book. Give me a call. I don’t bite.”

_That son of a bitch._

Dean was ready to tear Sam a new one, but he couldn’t help but be excited about the fact that Castiel had reached out for him a second time in a row. This time, he didn’t wait until his brain freaked out. He called back.

It took Castiel a few rings to answer, but he finally picked up, making Dean take a sharp breath.

“Hello?”

“H-hi Castiel. This is Dean.”

“Hello, Dean. How are you?”

“I’m good, thanks, what about you?”

“I’m great, thank you. So you got my message?”

“Yes, yes I did. You wanted me to call back, so… yep.”

Come on, Winchester, you can do better than this.

“Wanna go take a coffee this afternoon? Talk about the book, or… anything you want.”

Dean barely took a second to think about it. “Sure, I can make it work. Where to?”

***

They were sitting face to face, Castiel looking at Dean, Dean looking at his hands. On the phone, it seemed like a good idea. Dean was even excited about it when he jumped in his car. But now that they had ordered their coffee and that they were actually there, he was nervous. He had no idea what to say, or how to act. He couldn’t even look at Castiel, too scared his eyes would reveal too much.

“So”, Castiel started hesitantly, “what did you think of the book?”

“I liked it. I was really surprised by how much I liked it, actually. That guy can write his ass off.”

To Dean’s amazement, Castiel laughed. “Yes, Shaara is pretty amazing, I’ll give you that. What was your favorite part about it?”

“The fight scenes” Dean answered. “Without hesitation. It felt like I was there with the characters, fighting with them. What about you?”

Thanks to Castiel’s wise questions about the novel, the conversation didn’t die and Dean got comfortable soon enough.

Imperceptibly, the subject shifted, going from ‘The Killer Angels’ to who they were, what they liked, where they worked, where they lived, what music they liked. The conversation was flowing, without Dean nor Castiel noticing the time, for it had stopped for them. Castiel was a pretty funny guy, slightly awkward on the edges but still really compassionate and kind. Dean didn’t feel himself falling, but for a bystander, it was obvious that there was something, something strong, going on between the two of them. Eventually, they came back to book and novels they enjoyed, but Dean didn’t have much to say, not being the reading type much.

“Is there something wrong?” Castiel asked, noticing Dean’s sudden silence.

“No, no, everything’s fine. I just don’t read much, is all, so I don’t really have much to say about all this.”

“You seemed really interested by the books you had in hands the first time we met. And you listened to me when I recommended one to you. I assumed you read a lot. What were you doing in that bookstore if you don’t read, then?” Castiel asked, a playful smile on his lips.

“Can I be honest with you?”

“Absolutely, Dean. You can always be honest with me.”

“I wasn’t buying the book for myself. It was a present for Sam. After you left the store I went and bought a second copy for myself… because I wanted to see you again.”

There was a silence as Castiel took Dean’s revelation in. And then he started laughing.

“Why are you laughing? Stop it, I’m not being honest with you so you can mock me” Dean said, trying to look pissed, but unable to keep his own smile down.

“I’m sorry”, Castiel said, still laughing, “but I wasn’t expecting that. Dean, I gave you my phone number, if you wanted to see me again, you could’ve just called.”

“I-I don’t know, I was shy or afraid you wouldn’t want to see me, or-”

“Do you think I go in bookstores and give my phone number to every stranger I see? Come on, I’m not that desperate. You were one gorgeous thing to look at, surrounded by books and so focused. I couldn’t help myself, I had to take a chance.”

Dean was speechless. That was a confession he didn’t expect, either.

“So I guess we both took a chance here, huh?” He finally add.

“Yes. And it seems it has paid off. Am I wrong?”

“No, you’re not. Still gotta kick Sam’s ass, though.”

“How come?”

“The bastard called you. Even if I’m glad he did, he had no right.”

“So I take you weren’t busy. Just shy.”

“Yeah… The kid can read me like an open book. Sorry, for not calling by the way. I don’t know why it made me so nervous” Dean said, sipping at his third coffee of the evening.

“Like I said in my voicemail, Dean, I don’t bite.” Castiel took a sip of his own coffee, looking at Dean playfully. “Unless I’m caught in the moment or you want me to.”

Dean’s eyes grew wide and he choked on his drink, his whole body responding to Castiel’s words.

“And I bet you want me to” Castiel added after Dean’s reaction, this time, an enormous grin stamped on his face.

Dean blushed furiously, but started laughing, because hell yes, he wanted to. He wanted it right now.

 _Sam’s really gonna regret this_ , he thought.

But deep down he knew he wouldn’t say a thing to Sammy. As usual, his brother knew more than him what was good for himself. And he was pretty sure Sam had hit the jackpot with this one.


End file.
